Exhale

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

My last class of the day was Creative Writing. It was one of the two English classes the school provided for the Seniors, other than the Advanced Placement one. I could have easily signed up for that one, but seeing as how I had enough on my plate as it was, I didn't want to test my success. I had been practically drowning in things the last month, and I was in need of a job - I wasn't about to add a ton of homework on my list of to-do's. I sat in one of the seats off to the side of the classroom, hoping that it wasn't someone else's seat. The class size wasn't too big. So far there were only eight students here, a few more trickling in before the bell. There were more desks than kids, and I found it ironic because of the size of this place to begin with.

I looked around and prayed we wouldn't be doing any group work today. I didn't want to have to talk to more people than necessary. I'd had enough excitement for one day.

A guy sat in the seat next to me. He was blonde and had shaggy hair that looked to be gelled back and styled. His skin was a little paler than a suntan, and he had lean muscle and a straight nose. He turned to look at me, and I was greeted with pretty brown eyes. "Hey, you're a new face."

I snorted. "It can't be that obvious in a town with only three-hundred high school students."

"Hey, hey, watch it," he commented, bringing up a hand. "Three hundred and two, if I may correct you."

I smirked at him. "Ah. Pardon me, then."

He laughed. And then he held out his hand. "I'm Jack."

I took it and gave it a firm shake. "Brittney, but everyone calls me Britt."

"Gotcha. What a nice name." Muy bonita."

"You speak Spanish," I observed.

"Took three years in Junior High, was placed into AP Spanish Sophomore year. It's been a journey."

I felt the corners of my mouth tilt up, and my cheeks started to heat up a bit. "I took two years of french, but can't remember much of what I learned. I do remember one phrase though. Tu es très beau."

"Yeah, and what does that mean?" His eyes glittered with amusement.

"You are very good looking."

"Really." His eyebrows drew together and he released a small laugh. "You say you can't remember a lot of what you learned, but you remember that phrase."

I gave a nonchalant shrug. "I tend to hold on to what I know I will eventually need. It's a good flirting mechanism. This is actually the first time I've used it."

"Well then," he winked at me. "I'm honored."

I felt butterflies do something weird in my stomach. This was the first time since my ex that I've actually had the confidence to flirt. When someone like me had been damaged as much as I had, it's hard to find joy again. And yet, being here, on the complete opposite side of the country, I had a chance to start over. I was going to take that chance by the horns and run with the bulls.

"Where do you hail from, then?" Jack asked me, flipping opened his notebook to write down what was already on the board.

"Salem," I answered

He stopped. "Salem. So, what, an hour away from here? Two hours..."

"Try thirty-six." I chuckled at his expression. "Oregon, Salem Oregon."

He smacked his palm to his forehead. "OH! That makes a lot of sense." He snorted. "It's kind of funny to think you moved from the Salem area to the Salem area, isn't it?"